"Two thousand in the one night," said Billy. "Oh, ain't Smith doin' well? And two first-class guns as belongs to me. I'll shove 'em on board the _Hampshire_ bright and early. Oh, I done it clean and neat." He had great professional pride, and when he came alongside the _Hampshire_ at four o'clock in the morning, and found all hands getting up the anchor, he felt that the thing was going to finish itself without a hitch. "Once at sea and the job's complete. Hallo, there, send down a whip into the boat," he cried. "I've got them two as skipped. And good men, too, when they're sober." He heard the first mate bellow: "Mr. Jones, get these swine on board quick. Drunk, are they? We'll sober 'em. Up aloft and loose the topsails." And the two lights of San Francisco society were carried into the foc'sle. "Blimy, but I'd give sumfink to be as blind speechless as this," said one cockney, "and there ain't no chance of it till we gets to London." But the mate was roaring overhead. They dropped Hunt and Gawthrop into two empty bunks and went on deck. "Can't you turn those men to?" asked the chief mate, Mr. Ladd, of Jones. And Jones went into the foc'sle and punched both of these gentlemen in the ribs. "Wake up, you drunken galoots," said Jones. In answer they both sighed and snored, and turned peaceably to rest. Jones, who knew a bit, unhooked the lamp from the sweating beam overhead, and lifting Hunt's eyelid with his thumb, saw that the man's pupil was down to a pin-point. It was the same with Gawthrop. "Hocussed, of course," he said. And he reported aft that not even putting them under the hose would wake them for some hours. "Confound all California and its manners and customs," said Ladd. But the manners and customs of Shanghai Smith at any rate saved Hunt and Gawthrop from eight hours of the finest education in the world. It was noon, and the _Hampshire's_ crowd was at dinner when Gawthrop showed signs of animation. "Ah, humph!" said Gawthrop, and without opening his eyes he reached out and pressed the head of a small bolt with his thumb. "What's the josser doin' of?" asked Tom, the cockney who had sighed over the fact that there was no chance of getting intoxicated until they reached London. "Johnson, give me some tea," said Gawthrop. He believed that his man had answered the electric bell. But there was a Johnson, or more properly a Johanssen, among the crew. "Here, Dutchy, give him some tea." Gawthrop opened his eyes and yawned. He shut his eyes again, but did not shut his mouth in time to prevent Bill Yardley, who was the joker of the crowd, dropping a piece of soaked biscuit into it. Gawthrop spluttered, coughed violently, and sat up. As he did so he of course hit his head a smart crack on the deck above him. He sat up again on his elbow, and stared about him stupidly. "'Ere, come out, matey, and 'ave yer grub," cried the kindly crew with one voice. "You've 'ad a rare good caulk," said Tom encouragingly.